Okay, folks, let’s dive into this project I tackled: putting together a portable wooden basketball court floor using laminate and engineered board. Sounds fancy, huh? It wasn’t as bad as you might think!

The Idea

It all started because my kid is obsessed with basketball. Rain or shine, he wants to be out there dribbling. Our concrete driveway is rough on the knees (and the ball!), so I started thinking about a better solution. A full-on court? Not in the budget. But a portable, smoother surface? That I could maybe swing.

Gathering Supplies

First, I had to do some digging. Figured out that engineered hardwood would be a good base – sturdy, but not crazy expensive. Then, for the top layer, I went with laminate. It’s tough, can handle some moisture (important for outdoor use, even if it’s covered), and comes in all sorts of looks. I found some that even had a bit of a wood-grain texture, which I thought would be nice.

Here’s what I ended up using:

• Engineered hardwood boards (enough to cover the area I wanted)
• Laminate flooring (same square footage as the hardwood)
• Construction adhesive (the heavy-duty kind)
• Screws (short enough not to poke through the bottom)
• A circular saw (borrowed from my neighbor, thanks, Bob!)
• A jigsaw (for any weird cuts)
• Safety glasses (don’t skip this!)
• Work gloves

Putting it all Together

The first step was laying out the engineered hardwood. I wanted the court to be big enough for some decent practice, but not so big it would take over the whole * I had the size figured out, I started cutting the boards to fit. That circular saw was a lifesaver – made nice, clean cuts.

With the base layer down, it was time for the adhesive. I spread a generous layer of that construction glue onto each engineered board, then carefully placed the laminate on top. Make sure to have heavy things that cover the whole thing. This part was messy, I’m not gonna lie. Definitely wear gloves, and maybe some old clothes you don’t care about.

Once the laminate was down, I used the screws to secure everything together. I didn’t want any shifting or warping. I put screws around the perimeter of each laminate piece, and a few in the middle for good measure.

And that’s it. Seriously. It took about all of an hour, and was fun and I got a lot out of it.

The Result

Honestly, it turned out better than I expected! The surface is smooth and even, perfect for dribbling. And because it’s made of separate boards, I can take it apart and store it in the garage when we’re not using it. My kid is thrilled, and I’m pretty proud of myself for pulling it off. If you’re thinking about a similar project, I say go for it! Just be prepared for a little bit of work, and a whole lot of sticky glue.